World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan Versus Jackson Page in Opening Round

/ 11:29 AM GMT • 18th April, 2024

2 minutes

The tournament kicks off this Saturday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and will be broadcast live on the BBC.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is set to face Jackson Page in the opening round of the World Championship as he seeks an unprecedented eighth title in the modern era.

At 48, O'Sullivan is also vying to become the fourth player ever to win all three Triple Crown events in a single season. Defending champion Luca Brecel will compete against David Gilbert, while 2019 champion Judd Trump will take on Hossein Vafaei.

The tournament kicks off this Saturday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and will be broadcast live on the BBC. Four-time champion Mark Selby will go up against Joe O'Connor, the sole newcomer to the tournament following his qualification.

Four-time winner John Higgins faces Jamie Jones, who ousted 2010 champion Neil Robertson in the final qualifying round. Mark Williams, a three-time champion whose latest win was in 2018, comes into the tournament fresh off his Tour Championship victory, but he faces a challenging first match against Si Jiahui, a semi-finalist from the previous year.

Mark Allen, with three tournament victories this season, will start against Robbie Williams. The 2005 champion Shaun Murphy is paired with Lyu Haotian, and fans can also look forward to an exciting match between Ding Junhui and Jack Lisowski.

Gary Wilson, who has recently triumphed at the Scottish and Welsh Opens, will face former champion Stuart Bingham. Kyren Wilson hopes to stave off an upset against 52-year-old Dominic Dale, making his first appearance since 2014 and the oldest qualifier since Steve Davis in 2010.

Many  of the best UK betting sites are already showing their cards with regards to who they think will be the outright winner of the tournament. Here are the top 10 players in the betting markets, according to bet365: